Today's Cultural Warfare Update

[solarbird]

Anti-gay phone company; get your telephone service from them, they send 10% to various fundamentalist causes, in theory. Clearly a successor to the anti-abortion "Lifeline," which did the same for anti-abortion-rights groups;

Report: sexual orientation of fruit flies can be set genetically;

Focus on the Family action item/news story about GBLT-themed cable channel "LOGO" - they want it off cable;

FotF keeps up the drumbeat on the judicial issue;

Today's Family News in Focus (one story in summary not in actual show);

Concerned Women for America rail against Ford Motor, promotes the boycott effort; says gayfolk will "destroy freedom in this country";

Rich Lowry at National Review accuses Planned Parenthood of being pro-statutory-rape;

CWFA keeps up the judicial drumbeat;

CWA/Washington State report;

Traditional Values Coalition claims success in defeating marriage-rights bill in California;

Family Research Council begins ad campaign against Ohio Republican involved in the judicial compromise;

Southern Voice article on the anti-gay-rights movement.


----- 1 -----
ANTI GAY PHONE COMPANY
http://www.eugenemirman.com/showandtell.html

[Ed Note: the phone calls are very funny, but it's also horrific.]

Starting in late December I began to get phone calls from what I thought was a phone company (United American Technologies) trying to get me to switch from my phone company to a Christian one that didn’t support gay marriage and pornography. It was so weird and creepy that I decided to record them. There are three calls. It turns out that they are from a non-profit that works with United American Technologies and calls people on their behalf. UAT then donates money to them. I think this non-profit stopped making these calls, but UAT still has many other organizations making the calls for them I believe. Though they claimed to donate 10% of their profits to ministries I think the money actually went into an Oklahoma Republican political campaign, but some of it may go to Churches and ministries, I’m not sure. The whole thing is confusing and spooky. But enjoy the calls. You can also read this article from the New York Sun for more information.

[Link nr. 1 - mp3 of first conversation]

"Major telephone companies are the main supporters of gay marriave... companies like AT&T, MCI... Southwestern Bell... we're a Christian organisation, there are Christian-based telephone companies out there..."

[Link nr. 2 - mp3 of second conversation]

Faith, Family, and Freedom campaign. "Eugene, did you press one to oppose same-sex marriages?" "Are you against same-sex marriages." "Like the fist of god, we will smash them." "Exactly!" "They also give millions of dollars to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Group." "There is a Christian-based telephone company in your area..." "Taking a stand against same-sex marriages and hard-core child pornography." "And AT&T sponsors child pronography?" "No that's MCI." "MCI has hard-core child pornography?" "Yes, they are, they have a pedophile web site... it's a Montreal-based website." "So MCI basically has a child pornography ring." "That's correct." "What about the others, what does Verizon do?" "...they train their employees to accept the gay and lesbian lifestyle." "Are they mad future robots?" "Exactly." "Basically, god hates AT&T, MCI, and Verizon." "Yes." "Together, you and I will destroy the gays." "Exactly."

[Link nr. 3 - mp3 of second conversation]

"A christian group, we're trying to stop same-sex marriage and pornography..." "Wait, we're going to get rid of the ACLU?" "Yes." "Their biggest sponsors are big phone companies, which are AT&T, MCI, and Sprint, and they're also all the biggest promoters of pornography, internet TV, phone sex, same-sex marriage, and all..." "It's still supposed to be a Christian country..." "The Christian god is the only one, so that's pretty much what they meant." "There is a Christian phone company..." "What's MCI do?" "They're host of a Montreal-based website called [redacted by ed.] which are pedophile sites for men who love boys..." "Wait, MCi sponsors child pornography." "Wait, are you saying Canadians are childfuckers?" "They allow it there." "Child porn is legal in Canada? Are there a lot of child marriages?" "It's more like Men who are attracted to little boys and things." "MCI has six to ten year old children having sex?" "Yeah, that's pretty much what it is." "That's what they support. And they give a lot of money to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance group." "God is like, it's sexy, but it's wrong." "Yeah, pretty much." Separation of Church and State is "just one interpretation of the first amendment." "The presidents of these companies are pretty radical, secular humanists..." "Moral relativists who think there's no morality, stuff like that." "I've heard that people on the board of AT&T are homosexual, that's why they're so friendly..."


----- 2 -----
For Fruit Flies, Gene Shift Tilts Sex Orientation
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL,
International Herald Tribune
Published: June 3, 2005

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/03/science/03cell.html?th&emc=th

When the genetically altered fruit fly was released into the observation chamber, it did what these breeders par excellence tend to do. It pursued a waiting virgin female. It gently tapped the girl with its leg, played her a song (using wings as instruments) and, only then, dared to lick her - all part of standard fruit fly seduction.

The observing scientist looked with disbelief at the show, for the suitor in this case was not a male, but a female that researchers had artificially endowed with a single male-type gene.

That one gene, the researchers are announcing today in the journal Cell, is apparently by itself enough to create patterns of sexual behavior - a kind of master sexual gene that normally exists in two distinct male and female variants.

In a series of experiments, the researchers found that females given the male variant of the gene acted exactly like males in courtship, madly pursuing other females. Males that were artificially given the female version of the gene became more passive and turned their sexual attention to other males.

[More at URL]


----- 3 -----
CABLE COMPANIES TO ADD GAY TV
Some of the nation's largest cable outlets are about to
add LOGO to their channel lineups.
http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0036762.cfm

by Aaron Atwood, assistant editor

SUMMARY: Some of the nation's largest cable outlets are
about to add LOGO to their channel lineups.

Viacom, the corporation behind such brands as CBS, MTV and
Showtime, is launching a new brand into the mainstream
cable market. LOGO will be non-stop gay, lesbian,
bi-sexual and transgender (GLBT) programming. Behind the
new channel: MTV Networks.

Shows that are slated include "My Fabulous Gay Wedding"
and "Noah's Arc" -- a comedy about a group of
African-American gay men living in Santa Monica -- plus
more than 200 gay and lesbian films.

Adelphia Communications Corp., one of the nation's leading
cable companies, as well as giants Time Warner Inc. and
RCN Cable, have agreed to pick up the channel as part of
their contracts with Viacom.

"We offer many channels to a diverse audience and this
offers a choice to specific audience," said Paul Jacobson,
spokesman for Adelphia. "We provide a wide variety to our
audiences and I don't think it's fair to say that the
programming is controversial yet."

The motivation behind the launch may be the almighty
dollar rather than diversity. In MTV Networks' press
release it noted that the GLBT community is virtually an
untapped demographic with impressive disposable income.

"Market researchers estimate the gay and lesbian
population at 15 million adults, with a projected buying
power of $485 billion (according to MarketResearch.com)
and it is increasingly the target for many Fortune 500
companies," the release reads.

But the tapping of gay pocketbooks will come at a cost to
children. Normalizing the homosexual and transgender
lifestyle affects families says Kermit Rainman, social
research analyst with Focus on the Family.

"At any time of the day or night an unsuspecting child
can be subjected to the message that homosexuality is a
normal, natural and appealing lifestyle choice," he said.
"Any attempts by parents to foster biblically-based,
Judeo-Christian views on human sexuality and morality will
inevitably be undermined. Given the fact that Viacom
recognizes that the GLBT market is enormous and has
significant disposable income, they should do the right
thing and unbundle this channel from the basic program
offering."

Jacobson argued that the technology is already available
for parents who want to block out channels they find
objectionable. He's quick to mention the campaign at
www.controlyourtv.com -- the subject of a current ad
campaign by the cable and satellite industry aimed at
fending off government intervention. The campaign's three
ingredients: control, choice and education.

"The cable industry is aware of parents trying to raise
children in a media intense environment," Jacobson said.

"That response is a smokescreen… I'm still paying for
channels that I don't support even if I can block them,"
said Tim Winter, executive director of the Parents
Television Council. "It's like buying a golf magazine off
the newsstand and having to buy a pornographic magazine
along with it. I can throw the porn magazine away but I
still have to buy it. You are being forced to subscribe
here."

...

TAKE ACTION: If you're opposed to the LOGO network being
included on your cable system, call you local provider and
let them know what you think. Or, if you'd like to take it
a step further, here's a petition you may use:

http://www.family.org/cforum/pdfs/logo_petition.pdf


----- 4 -----
President Bush Stands by His Nominees
by Steve Jordahl, correspondent
Focus on the Family

SUMMARY: President Bush appears determined to keep
nominating judges who will interpret the Constitution --
not make new law.

http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0036760.cfm

President George W. Bush made clear that the recent Senate
compromise over judicial nominees would not change the way
he selects people for the federal bench.

At a Rose Garden press conference, the president said he
was pleased that Pricilla Owen was confirmed by the Senate
and he promised similar nominees in the future.

"I told the American people I would find people of a
certain temperament that would serve on the bench, and I
intend to do that," Bush said, "but we will consult with
the Senate."

Bush said he expects all of his nominees to receive an
up-or-down vote.

NARAL Pro-Choice America spokesman David Seldin predicted
that if the president stays the course, the filibusters
will continue.

"If President Bush continues doing as he's doing and
appointing such people to such important lifetime
positions," he said, "I would expect to see the Senate
treat that as an 'extraordinary circumstance.' "

The compromise deal struck by seven Republicans and seven
Democrats in the Senate left the possibility of more
filibustering of judicial nominees under "extraordinary
circumstances" -- a choice of words many conservatives
consider to be a large loophole that may be used against
any nominee who is pro-life.

The President joked about the phrase "extraordinary
circumstances."

"I don't know what that means," he said to laughter. "I
guess we're about to find out when it comes to other
appellate judges."

Minority leader Harry Reid issued a statement saying
Democrats would work with the President only if he stops
"caving to the demands of the far right."

Trent England of the Heritage Foundation said Reid is just
posturing.

"He complains in his comments about Republicans using
their power. I think it would be good for Harry Reid to
take a breath and think about why Republicans have power,"
he said. "The President is telegraphing to the Senate and
to the country that he intends to continue putting forth
those kinds of nominees, and to be particularly careful
about putting forth that kind of nominee when and if a
vacancy on the Supreme Court arises."

FOR MORE INFORMATION: To learn more about the selection of
judges, go to the Focus on Social Issues Web site:

http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/government/


----- 5 -----
Family News in Focus
Friday, June 03, 2005
Focus ont he Family

http://www.oneplace.com/Ministries/Family_News_in_Focus/

* New domain for porn isn't getting rave reviews from groups trying to cut down on internet filth
1. Porn getting the .XXX tld. "The goal is to help parents block it from kids," but they complain that it makes porn easier to find. Jan LaRue calls it "a band-aid on cancer," "you legitimise the industry and that's the last thing in the world we should do." "There's nothing to stop them from remaining in the dot-com era." FotF says it "increases the likelihood that people will be exposed to it."

* More offensive commercials are on their way to network television
2. NBC and WB to start airing health-related condom ads. "Parents aren't going to see it that way." Parents Television Council actually agrees, which Focus on the Family finds confusing. "I don't want the television telling my child about protection..." NBC and WB are "abusing the public trust." "Marketing these products when they know children will be watching.

* According to mainstream media, Mark Felt is a hero....they weren’t saying that about Linda Tripp
4. "Chuck Coulson was the first of the President's men to serve time in the Watergate scandal." Coulson proceeds to complain about it. "To say that he's a hero is to say to students... is to say that any means can be justified if the end is noble." "Linda Tripp and Mark Felt are exactly the same, the only difference is one is bringing down a president the media hated..." Coulson: "Clearly ... used illegal and unethical means..." "Both Clinton and Nixon broke the law by lying, but in the media, some liars are greater than others."

* Capitol Hill was venue for First Annual Black Americans For Life Pro-life Achievement Awards yesterday
6. "Too many black babies are lost to abortion." "It's against everything god stands for." Calls for black Americans to get involved in social conservative causes, particularly abortion. "We're going to see the whole thing come down, it's going to come to an end." "Abortion is killing the African-American culture."

* Nation's capitol could be clearing air soon with bill to keep away second-hand smoke
NO STORY

* Edison Schools, a private company hired to run public schools, pulls out of Chester, PA after mixed results over four years - Media outlets are trumpeting the failure
5. FotF claims pre-existing debt and administrative shortcomings are common in ordinary public schools as well.

* Bill authorizing Congress to restrict courts has been reintroduced in Congress - Legislation is aimed at reigning in what some see as an "out of control" judiciary
3. "Constitution Restoration Act" to limit the jurisdiction of courts. "Coalition for a Fair Judiciary" supports it. "Under the bill, violating the proposed rule would be grounds for impeachment."


----- 6 -----
Ford Motor Co.’s Homosexual Activism
6/2/2005
Concerned Women for America

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/8278/CWA/family/index.htm

Years of homosexual activism and funding of leading homosexual groups has landed Ford Motor Company in the crosshairs of concerned Christians. Although CWA doesn’t participate in boycotts, some of our allies have even called for one. With more information on this, we spoke with Robert Knight, director of CWA’s Culture & Family Institute. More information can be found at BoycottFord.com
Click here to listen.

Martha Kleider and Robert Knight; "Bob, there is something that has you really spinning your wheels, and it's news about ford; it's bad news." "Ford Motor Company openly supporting the homosexual agenda... several homosexual publications have named it the most pro-homosexual of the domestic auto makers..." Ford donating to GLAAD, advertising in GBLT-targeted magazines, promising to donate to the HRC as well as a promotional item. "Ford is openly promoting the homosexual agenda, and at a time when Ford's stock is slipping terribly... for them to be spending time and money promoting homosexuality... seems to be a misplaced priourity to me." Points to BoycottFord.com. "Many of these atrocities go back many years." Talks about several years of Ford donations to GBLT organisations. Lists off the brands of cars owned by Ford Motor. Says Mazda is owned by Ford. "I think it will hurt their image. I think it should hurt their image that they're trying to promote homosexuality." "If Ford really cared about homosexual people, they would be sponsouring ex-gay groups like PFOX and Exodus International... instead of promoting a deadly lifestyle, they'd care more... cares more about political correctness and sponsouring niche groups..." "Threatening traditional Americans... corporately, it's putting its own [retirees] at risk." "Retirees... just have to be heartsick over this. Henry Ford would be heartsick over this!" "I'd say they slid down, and on the wrong side."

"I think the most important thing they could do is call their local Ford dealer. ... they should let them know how strongly they feel about this. ... I'm going to call my Ford dealer and say look, I was thinking of getting a Ford, but I can't even set food in your business anymore... you are promoting a deadly lifestyle that will not only destroy the people who embrace it but which will eventually destroy freedom in this country."

Points people to the boycott organisation again. "The object is not to hurt the company, it's to reform it.... to get back to making cars and not promoting what is wrong."


----- 7 ------
Planned Parenthood Perversity
A cautionary tale of abortion-rights extremis,.
June 03, 2005, 8:03 a.m.
Rich Lowry
National Review

http://www.nationalreview.com/lowry/lowry200506030803.asp

Can you say “perverse”? Planned Parenthood in Indiana and Kansas is effectively fighting to protect child rapists from potential prosecution in two high-profile legal fights. That an organization devoted to the interests of women finds itself in this position is a cautionary tale of abortion-rights extremism.

In Indiana, the attorney general is seeking the records of girls under the age of 14 who have visited Planned Parenthood clinics. Let that sink in: We’re talking about 12- and 13-year- old girls. It is a crime to have sex with a child under 14 in the state. Under law, individuals with reason to believe a child is a victim of sex abuse are required to report it to the proper authorities. In Kansas, the attorney general is carrying on the same fight (he is also looking for evidence of illegal late-term abortions).

An Indiana judge has just upheld the Indiana attorney general’s request, although the case is under appeal. “The great public interest,” the county superior judge wrote, “in the reporting, investigation and prosecution of child abuse trumps even the patient’s interest in privileged communication with her physician because, in the end, both the patient and the state are benefited by the disclosure.”

The loopiest free-sex advocates might imagine that after sex-ed courses on how to put a condom on a banana, 13-year-old girls blissfully explore their bodies with 13-year-old boys. Put aside that this vision will make most parents gag — it’s not how it works. Teen sex often involves adult men exploiting teen girls. Estimates are that in 60 percent or more of teen births, the father is an adult. A California study found that the fathers in births to junior-high-school mothers were on average nearly 7 years older.

Why would a feminist organization not be eager to cooperate in a fight against the sexual exploitation of young girls? Well, Planned Parenthood represents that wing of the feminist billed as “sex positive.” Although that phrase doesn’t quite capture it. Planned Parenthood is developing the “statutory rape-positive” wing of feminism.

[More at URL]

[Ed. Note: Planned Parenthood offers OB/GYN services at income-adjusted rates. 12 and 13 years old is a common time for women to start their cycles. So someone that age going to PP most likely means they're going in for gyn exams. You won't find that in this discussion.]


----- 8 -----
Discarding ‘Embryonic’ Judges 6/2/2005
By Mario Diaz
A new day for the judicial confirmation process.
Concerned Women for America

http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=8277&department=LEGAL&categoryid=judges

With the announced compromise reached by 14 Democrats and Republicans, a new process is born for the confirmation of judges: the deal. If the deal sticks, from now on, every President will need to nominate “throw-aways.” Like fertility clinics, presidents will be persuaded to produce an excess number of candidates—as if they were embryos—that he will inevitably have to discard to increase the chance of other judges getting birthed, or confirmed.

But we should not be surprised; this is what politics is all about nowadays. Instead of character and principle, stature, egos and resentments rule the day.

The deal involves the Democrats allowing an up or down vote for the nominations of Justice Pricilla Owens, Justice Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor while Republicans agree that two others, William Myers and Henry Saad, may still be blocked.

Americans are not likely to forget the hypocrisy in the next election. What happened to the nominees being extremists? The magical deal must have transformed them into good nominees. That’s “extraordinary.”

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) said, “There is no question that when you look up judicial activist in the dictionary, you see a picture of Priscilla Owen.” And, “She is immoderate. If there was ever a judge who would substitute her views for the law, it is Judge Owen.” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said regarding these nominees: “When Americans think of scary persons in dark robes they should be thinking of Darth Vader, not Republican choices for judges.” And Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) called Justice Owen “a candidate on the far fringes of legal thinking.”

But now they have a compromise and Justice Owen is not extreme. All but 17 Democrats voted to end debate and two of them voted to confirm her. Forget all the personal attacks on Justice Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor; they too can have an up-or-down vote. What this really shows is what we’ve said all along: These are well-qualified, outstanding nominees and the liberal Democrats had other political motives for their filibuster. Principle is not a word to be found in their dictionary.

[More at URL]


----- 9 -----
How CWA of Washington has stood 5/24/2005
CONCERNED WOMEN FOR AMERICA OF WASHINGTON
STATE DIRECTOR’S SPEECH AT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE, APRIL 21, 2005

http://states.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=8219&department=FIELD&categoryid=family

Good evening! “A Time to Stand”

How has Concerned Women for America of Washington stood over the past year?

First of all, CWA state activists decided to be proactive in finding a new director, meeting to discuss the possibilities, then going home to pray. I suspect each of us at that meeting prayed that one of the others would step forward – I know that was my prayer!

For six months, we continued to stand in faith that God would lead someone to volunteer for the position. Ever since I yielded to His leading, those other leaders have been faithful to help me stand and to stand alongside me in prayer and hard work.

Although we are a small leadership group, we have stood strong since last summer, full of passion, with great expectations and hope, and with our trust fully in our God.

We’ve mailed out two newsletters plus a “Mayday for Marriage” letter with a petition to the legislature requesting that they pass a constitutional amendment to protect authentic marriage; each mailing produced a good response. Members have thanked us for the information, prayed for and with us, collected thousands of signatures, and sent financial support, which has encouraged us to continue to stand.

The state Steering Committee stood in January on the steps of the capitol building, as part of the largest March for Life rally in Washington’s history. We had a booth at the Mayday for Marriage rally last month, and the steering committee and others literally stood with our state banner amidst 10,000 other citizens at the second largest rally ever held in Olympia, our state capitol. The multiplying effect of standing at that rally with those 10,000 citizens was perhaps the defeat of at least three bills that were thought unstoppable at the beginning of the legislative session. Because we stood individually and corporately, we have gained new allies, attention by legislators who have since contacted us, and more credibility amongst our members, gaining several new state leaders. We continue to stand in prayer with many others that Washington’s Supreme Court Justices will uphold our state’s Defense of Marriage Act, a case that went to that court on the same day as those 10,000 citizens rallied for God’s definition of marriage.

We absolutely trust God to honor our commitment to serve Him by directing us, strengthening us with new leaders, success, and perseverance, and sharing His wisdom as we come before His throne in prayer. We are determined to stand strong in Washington State and we hope to do what God puts before us, always aware that we can stand only as God enables us.

In addition to our conference verse from 1 Corinthians 16:13, I’d like to remind you of Ephesians 6:10-11: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”


----- 10 -----
HOMOSEXUAL “MARRIAGE” MAY SUFFER DEFEAT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ben Lopez
(909) 437-8174

TVC Campaign Across California Produced Democrat Defections Late Wednesday

http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2309

Sacramento -- AB 19, a bill which would allow any two persons to be legally married, will go down to defeat if the 37 to 35 vote against the bill holds in the California State Assembly.

According to the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), five Democrats have joined 32 Republicans opposing the bill which would allow homosexual “marriage” in California.

TVC reported at 8 p.m., Wednesday that eight legislators were abstaining.

In recent weeks, the coalition had mounted an aggressive statewide campaign which included briefings for pastors, well-attended public rallies and personal visits with lawmakers by TVC pastors.

“We believe this bill will be defeated,” said TVC Chairman Rev. Louis P. Sheldon. “Many assumed that California would follow down the dark path which has been created by the Massachusetts judges.

“The people of California have rallied against this assault on traditional marriage.

“The pundits may try to call this an upset but anyone who has watched the groundswell among the religious people of California is not surprised.“


----- 11 -----
FRC Radio Ads Question Sen. DeWine's 'Back-room Deal' on Judges
May 31, 2005 - Tuesday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 31, 2005
CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Bethanie Swendsen, (202) 393-2100

FRC Targets Ohio Airwaves with Judges Ad Campaign

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05E12

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Family Research Council and Ohio-based Citizens for Community Values announced the launch of a Ohio ad campaign reminding Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) who he represents. The two radio spots question Sen. DeWine's involvement in a back-room deal which continues to leave judicial nominees vulnerable to a reoccurring filibuster by Senate liberals.

One ad points out that "seven Democrats now promise to block future nominees only under 'extraordinary circumstances.'" The ad asks, "But what are 'extraordinary circumstances?' Is it 'extraordinary' to pledge allegiance to 'one nation under God?' Is it 'extraordinary' to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman?" The ad ends by asking the senator's constituents to call his office to express their opposition to the back-room deal.

To download the audio of the radio ads, go to www.frc.org.


----- 12 -----
Efforts of ‘anti-gay industry’ chronicled in new report
Civil rights group targets religious conservatives
By DYANA BAGBY
Southern Voice
Friday, June 03, 2005

http://www.southernvoice.com/2005/6-3/news/national/anti-gay.cfm

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2003 that remaining sodomy laws in 13 states were unconstitutional, gay right advocates celebrated one of their largest victories to date in the quest for equality.

But that decision, Lawrence v. Texas, also fueled a large and growing conservative religious movement dubbed “the anti-gay industry” by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, according to Jason Cianciotto, research director for the Policy Institute at the Task Force.

The Lawrence decision, coupled with the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, prompted the religious right to point to the “homosexual agenda” and prompt more virulent anti-gay attacks, said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Montgomery, Ala.-based organization’s recent edition of its quarterly magazine, the Intelligence Report, chronicled the history of anti-gay messages from religious conservatives in a cover story titled, “Holy War: The Religious Right’s Crusade Against Gays Heats Up.”

“Their tone [against homosexuality] has become quite amazing after the Lawrence decision,” said Potok, editor of the Intelligence Report. “What was really striking was while the Klan and neo-Nazis spoke out against the Lawrence decision, the really vicious statements came from well-known leaders of the Christian right.”

[...]

‘Bailiwick is extremism’

Gay rights organizations such as the Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal have long been tracking anti-gay groups, including Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America and the Family Research Council. But now the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization known for monitoring hate groups including the Ku Klux Klan, labels them as extremist groups.

Attorneys Morris Dees and Joe Levin founded the center as a small civil rights firm in 1971 in Montgomery, Ala. The organization continues to monitor white supremacist groups as well as the rise of anti-immigration sentiment and other extremist activity. The center never in its 34-year history took aim at the religious right before now, but the rising volume of the national debate over gay marriage puts such groups in the limelight, Potok said.

“Our bailiwick is extremism,” he said. “We’ve avoided the Christian Right in the past, and we don’t feel we’ve expanded to include the Christian Right — we feel very strongly they have entered our world [of extremism].

“They have gone absolutely wild. The level of personal demonization was really quite remarkable. We felt we had to say, ‘Thus far, no further,’” Potok added.

[...]

‘We are not anti-gay’
The SPLC also reports that on Oct. 22, 2004, a short time before Election Day, James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, told a crowd of supporters of same-sex marriage bans, “Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the earth.”

Melissa Fryear, gender issues analyst for Focus on the Family and a self-described former lesbian, said it was unfair to label the organization as anti-gay.

[...]

The organization supports anti-gay policies, she added, in keeping with its core belief system. Fryear is also a former employee of Exodus International, a program for ex-gays that is also labeled anti-gay in the Intelligence Report.

[...]

‘Permission-givers of violence’?

Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center said the personal vilification and the false science against gay men and lesbians issued by institutions of the religious right are not only hateful, but dangerous.

“It is quite remarkable how they claim to hate the sin but love the sinner. That’s an absurd claim. We have reports that clearly show this kind of rhetoric paves the way to violence,” he said. “Without question, gay men and lesbians are the most attacked group — and the hate crimes toward them are more violent.”

[...]

So when Christian leaders spout anti-gay messages and preachers sermonize on the “moral intrinsic evil” of homosexuals, as Catholic Church officials have stated, there is little doubt the language leads to violence, Potok added.

“These leaders are acting in a sense as permission-givers for violence,” he said.

[...]

‘Sick and sinful’

Rev. Mel White knows first-hand the hatred steeped in religious right organizations.

White struggled with his sexual orientation and remained closeted for much of his adult life. From the 1960s to the early 1990s, he worked among evangelical Christians and ghostwrote books for such notable leaders as Revs. Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, D. James Kennedy and Pat Robertson.

White tried for years to overcome his sexual orientation, even submitting to exorcism and electroshock treatment because, he said, “I thought I was sick and sinful. I thought they [evangelicals] were right.”

After 35 years, White said he realized his former cohorts were wrong and came to accept himself as a gay man. In 1998, he founded Soulforce, a national gay rights interfaith group known for holding non-violent demonstrations at anti-gay religious sites, including Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado.

At one such demonstration, White recalled he and others were fasting in a small trailer outside Focus on the Family’s property. A person called a local radio station and said, “Someone should go up there and shoot them.”

The threat led White and his group to move to a local motel with police protection.

“I have no doubts in my mind these organizations lead to suffering and death of gay people,” White said. “Without meaning to, [the religious right] inspire people to do evil against their own children — and what is more evil than that?”

Fundamental Christian organizations and leaders, including Falwell and Robertson, are the primary source for hatred and discrimination toward gay men and lesbians, White added.

“They want to deny the connection, but they no longer can,” he said.

[Full article at URL]

Comments

[britzkrieg.livejournal.com]

Damn, this is all very unnerving -- and informative. I'm not able to read it all right now.

I want to see a copy of this alleged "homosexual agenda" -- and hard evidence for a conspiracy.

Have you ever considered participating in dark_christian? It's a pretty civil community for the dissemination of information about radical Christian activism. I think you would have a lot to contribute to the forum.

[solarbird]

I'm not a Christian, so I think I'd be out of place - plus, honestly, I do exactly as much of this as I can stand. I really kinda hate politics; I just don't have much of an option to avoid it. But feel free to forward stuff from here over to there, if you want.

I post these usually three times a week, M/W/F, usually with the same subject line.

[britzkrieg.livejournal.com]

dark_christian is not actually a Christian community. It's sort of a "watchdog" for the activism of the Religious Right. Christians are welcome, of course, as is good-natured debate.

I do exactly as much of this as I can stand.

In that case, though, the community might overwhelm you.

Would you mind if I cross-posted some of your links there?

[britzkrieg.livejournal.com]

Would you mind if I cross-posted some of your links there?

Never mind -- you already answered this. (Duh)

[solarbird]

Nope, I don't mind at all; feel free. You can point people back here too, if you want.

[avram]

Anti-gay phone company; get your telephone service from them, they send 10% to various fundamentalist causes, in theory.

They should also charge extra whenever you call someone of the same sex.

[vampirekiss.livejournal.com]

Okay... all I've managed to get through, are the anti-gay phone company mp3's... and I'm staring in slack-jawed disbelief at my screen. Like... are they fucking SERIOUS???!!!

It's crap like this that makes me sick. I'm Catholic, and people like these ubertards are turning me into a pariah by coating everything they don't like under the great banner of "God says it's evil!!111!!eleventyone!1"

I'm gonna take a stab and say God pretty much spends most of his time slapping his forehead in frustration.

[solarbird]

This is pretty much standard stuff for the conservative fundamentalist political movement. C.f. previous Cultural Warfare Update posts for all the details you can stomach.